


Things I Do Because I Love You

by TinyBat



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-02-22 16:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2514332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyBat/pseuds/TinyBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris, Barry, and what it is to fall in love with your best friend, as seen in pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 13

**Author's Note:**

  * For [always_a_queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/always_a_queen/gifts).



The ear splitting _bang_ of the bathroom door being slammed shut woke Joe from a much deserved nap. He rolled over, his back and leg aching from a badly executed pavement slide on the night shift, and looked at the clock. _4:00_ glared back at him in red, and he limped out of his room to find Barry anxiously sitting next to the recently abused door listening intently for signs of life, his face pale and wreathed with concern. 

"You realize we have another bathroom downstairs, right?" Joe asked, looking down at his ward with a confused expression.

"Oh, I don’t need to go. Iris just- she- well-" Barry choked, looking up and a few inches to the right of Joe’s head, not willing to make eye contact.

"Iris what?"

"She’ll kill me if I say anything, but I promise i’ve got it handled, so since you worked late last night, why don’t you just go back to bed." Barry said, scooting across the floor to press his ear against the hinges, a loud sniffling filtered through the wood and the boy’s face sloped down in an expression of sadness.

"I would, but Iris has apparently locked herself in there and you’ve set up camp outside, so why don’t you tell me just exactly why you didn’t come home from school skipping, and laughing like the two angels I know you to be?" Joe pressed, his tone a bit more stern than he intended. 

"Because this isn’t _Leave It To Beaver_. Kidding! Sorry…” Barry quipped, his head still at an awkward angle. Joe sighed, Barry wasn’t going to break any time soon so he settled for brushing past the gangly teen and knocking on the door himself. 

"Iris, sweetie? Everything okay in there?" The answer he received came in the form of a shuddering wail, sobs breaking up any words his daughter tried to say into incoherent coughs and yet more sniffles.

At this point, Barry stood up, and waved Joe a little further down the hall, away from the bathroom, and Iris. Joe folded his arms, leaning against the wall and staring at the visibly anxious Barry, waiting for him to talk.

"We just, she- I- the guy she likes likes somebody else and she saw them together. He’s a total jerk, and I couldn’t stop her from looking for him when the bell rang. I’m sorry. " Barry explained, looking genuinely disappointed in himself for not re-ordering the universe to spare his friend. 

Joe’s heart plummeted, he’d been waiting for this to happen. He’d come to terms with raising Iris by himself, and for the most part it hadn’t been too heart. His sister helped out with the things like shopping, and the really personal stuff. He’d made a checklist for the first time Iris got her heart broken, even if he prayed he’d never need to use it.

“ _Dammit_ , alright, think you can stay with her for a little while? I’m gonna grab her a few things at the store.”

"Of course." Barry nodded, returning to his place on the floor next to the bathroom, still looking like he’d become a horrible failure. Joe gave the kid a small smile, more grateful than ever to have him around. If there was one person Joe could rely on to move heaven and earth for his daughter, it’d be Barry.

When Joe returned, ice cream, books, tissues, and the first season of a cartoon Iris had loved in hand, he found her on the couch, dead asleep. Barry was next to her, a pillow resting against his thigh for Iris to lean her head on, his nose buried in a textbook. Joe caught his eye and Barry waved him away, setting the book aside and yawning.

This more than anything eased Joe’s mind, Iris was a hurricane, a force of nature, and Barry had more in common with a tornado than a person. He was raising storms, but seeing the two of them curled up on the couch, made him happy because together could just be themselves. Iris had been the one to ease Barry back into life after Nora’s murder, and Barry seemed to be the only one capable of keeping up with Iris, her passions and interests always changing. 

That kind of bond was one he’d hoped they’d form. Sticking the ice cream in the freezer, Joe returned to his bed, hoping to get an hour or so of rest before starting dinner. He’d seen Iris sit up all night with Barry when he first moved in, and he’d heard Barry enthusiastically conversing with Iris on whatever caught her attention.

If he wished hard enough, maybe raising two teenagers might be easier than he’d expected. They seemed to create a balance, a high energy, bubbling, shining balance. This unnamed boy wouldn’t be the last to break Iris’ heart, but Barry seemed able to ease whatever hurt she was feeling, and that’s something Joe was more than fine with. 

He was a little less forgiving when they came home from school the next day and Barry’s face looked like it’d been put through a meat grinder. Iris helped him onto the couch, and grabbed an ice pack, smiling a little as she bawled him out for getting in Mark’s face for hurting her. 

"Am I going to get an explanation?"

"Oh, hey Dad. Barry decided he wanted to defend my honor or whatever today, which he _totally_ didn’t need to do.” Iris said, smoothing out her skirt and rolling her eyes.

"He was a jerk, Iris! You’re amazing, and he’s an idiot for not seeing that." Barry interjected, wincing as he spoke. 

"Am I going to get a phone call from an angry parent?" Joe asked, sitting down on the coffee table in front of the two kids, blocking the television they’d turned on. 

"No." Iris answered, smiling to herself. 

"Why not?" Joe inquired, not entirely sure he wanted the answer. When Iris smiled like that, it usually meant trouble.

"Because I had to defend Barry’s. Most guys aren’t gonna spread it around when they get decked by a girl. Anyway, Barry’s stance is terrible, so I stepped in."

"So you’re over this Mark guy now?" Joe asked, scanning Iris’ knuckles for cuts or swelling. He’d have time to be bowled over by their adventure later, he had work at eight, and Mary would be here soon to stay with them. 

"Totally." Iris confirmed. The grin on Barry’s swollen face wasn’t lost on anyone. 

"I helped." he croaked, blood from his split lip dribbling down his chin and onto his sweatshirt.

"Sure you did, now stay still while I get the ice cream." Iris insisted, a laugh drifting out into the air as she went to the freezer.

“ _You_ tried to punch him out.” Joe stated flatly, filing the information away to consider later. He wasn’t too upset, but either kid fighting wasn’t something he wanted. 

"Yeah…" Barry said, hanging his head a little and feigning an expression of deep shame. 

"Mind letting me know why? _He’s a jerk_ won’t stand up against assault charges, kiddo.”

"Because…" Barry mumbled, his gaze following Iris as she came back with two bowls. "She’s worth it. "


	2. Sixteen

“Barry! Hurry up! Seriously, I’ve seen road kill move faster than yooooouuu.” Iris whined, practically bouncing up and down in the driver’s seat. Barry sighed, muttered something about becoming roadkill, and slid into the back seat, quietly making peace with his impending death.

“Iris, settle down. First things first. Seatbelt?” Joe asked, Iris practically vibrating with excitement.

“Seatbelt!” Iris squealed, snapping the strap over her chest and drumming her hands on the stationary steering wheel. Barry let out a groan, and shrank down in the back seat, his head resting against the newly locked door.

“Quiet! This is gonna be great!” Another groan from Barry suggested that being present at Iris’ first driving lesson was anything but great, even if he would be driving after her. She turned around and swatted him across the knee for not trusting her to keep the three of them alive. 

“Mirrors?” Joe drawled, checking off boxes as they went. 

Iris adjusted the rearview mirror, and checked both the driver’s side and passenger mirrors to see if her blind spots were easier to see. 

“Mirrors!”

“Alright, start her up.” The car roared to life, the ignition whirring and Iris turned to check for any oncoming traffic before slowly backing out of the garage. Joe breathed a sigh of relief, thrilled that she’d shifted into reverse and not drive as he’d imagined multiple times.

Iris put the car in park, adjusted her sunglasses, and turned to her dad. 

“What’s next?” Iris asked eagerly, picturing herself blazing down the city streets with music blaring, a huge smile on her face.

“Next, I teach you about what the levers, buttons, and dials do.”

An hour and a half later, all parties blessedly intact, the three returned home, Barry putting the car almost seamlessly back into the garage. Joe all but kissed the ground when he stepped out, praying to anything listening in the universe for their graciousness in allowing neither of his children to kill him today.

Iris sprang out of the car, buzzing with glee, smiling from ear to ear, pulling Barry inside and up the stairs, talking a mile a minute about how great it is that they made their first step toward adulthood. Barry, still slightly traumatized by Iris’ lead foot dropped down onto the couch, clutching a pillow and slowly breathing in and out. It was a miracle that he’d been able to drive at all, let alone get the car in the garage. 

Iris, all but pushing her dad out the door to catch a ride with Sergeant Maroney to the precinct began giggling as soon as the two officers were safely away. 

“Barry! We’re going out!” Iris called, fluffing her hair in the mirror and pinching the apples of her cheeks, the tell tale irregular thump of Barry coming down the stairs echoing in the hall. 

“What? Why? How? Joe just left for work, we only have our permits, and our curfew is 10!” Barry asked, looking more than a little alarmed.

“We’re taking the car, and no cop in the city will have anything to say to either of us. Dad’s well liked. Movie, pizza, library, or arcade?” Iris asked, taking the stairs two at a time down to the garage and sliding into the driver’s seat.

“The cemetery, I need to go pick a plot because we are going to die, Iris! If Joe suspects even a little that we took his car, he will kill us! Or worse, he’ll make us go help Mrs. Danvers in Filing. You know how much that sucks!”

“Pizza, and a movie it is! Let’s goo- oh shit!” Iris, in all of her excitement, had turned the car on, put it in reverse, and completely forgot to raise the garage door. The horrible, ear splitting, metallic crunch of the door splitting, and the rear fender crumpling had both of them scrambling out to assess the damage as soon as Barry threw the car in park, and turned it off.

“We can bike to the cemetery, right?” Iris asked hoarsely, looking a touch green as she ran her fingers over the pitted, dent ridden door, not at all wanting to look at the car.

“Yeah, I think so. First, I think we should at least go write down who gets our stuff.” Barry said, the light heartedness false, and dying at the end of the sentence.

“ You’ll get a shallow grave at least. It’s my fault so I’ll probably be twelve feet down, in an iron coffin, welded shut and encased in concrete.” Iris said wretchedly, her hands shaking.

“As long as you’re sure. Do you think we can call anyone to see if they can at least suction the dents out of the fender or whatever they do?” Barry asked, casting an eye over the scratched mess.

“And we pay them with what money? Besides, what about the door? It looks like a beer can at a college party.”

“We have got to find you some decent horror movies to watch. Those sorority row thrillers are just so bad!.”

“Oh, shut up. Let’s at least go worry about this upstairs. If one of us pukes on the tires that will definitely make it worse.”

Grounded was a very polite way of putting the punishment Joe bestowed on Barry and Iris. Barry, who was familiar with incarceration, getting off what could be considered lightly, being an accomplice as opposed to the guilty party. A month in the Filing department at the precinct, and a job at the auto mechanic’s shop down the street. Iris however wasn’t quite so lucky. She was grounded until the end of the school year, no dates, no group trips, no movie nights, and she had to get a job to help pay off the car, and the garage door. 

They did find a better horror movie, in a proper Driver’s Ed course during July. The sweltering heat, crowded space, and noxious smell of the instructor’s cologne making them both miserable as he periodically paused the gorier accident footage to explain in detail how it occurred. Neither of them actually got their licenses until the following year, it wasn’t just worth it.


	3. 18

"Remember, home by 3 or i'm having Shaughnessey pick you two up. He'll be in the area." Joe said, eyeing his kids as they stood at the door. Their dates were waiting outside while he ave them a final talking to and Iris was pretty much ready to go.

"Yep, we know. Home by 3, sober, and without company. We'll be good, now can we please go?" Iris asked, smoothing out the front of her dress and rolling her eyes. Barry, less excited by the prospect of senior prom, and a date who didn't seem as into him as he would have liked simply stood in the doorway and listened to Joe's well intentioned lecturing.

"You can go, and both of you? Have fun." Joe said, waving them out the door, Iris practically pulling Barry into the limousine that had been rented for the occasion. 

"Woooo! Senior prom! Kinda sad that it's the last one for us." Iris said, sliding into the seat next to her date and checking her make up.

"You've been to 3 different proms, Iris. I think you've officially earned Prommed Out." Barry said, a cheeky grin plastered on his face, Iris taking care to ignore the fakery of it. He wasn't going to suck the fun out of it for her.

"Nope, never. Come on, Barr. It's a last hoorah, don't rain on my parade. It'll ruin the dress." Iris grumbled good-naturedly, elbowing her friend in the ribs. 

Byron, her date was pretty much perfect in every way. Tall, good hair, great smile, and even wearing a tie color coordinated with her dress, everything a girl could wish for in one blonde package. She'd even found Barry a date too, confused as to why nobody seemed to be lining up to go with him. He just shrugged his shoulders, and said that he didn't really care about going anyway and that it wasn't a huge deal. Naturally, that wouldn't stand so Iris made a list of potential candidates, vetted all of them, listened for gossip, and eventually just asked her friend from AP World History to step in. Laura had agreed, on the condition that she wouldn't have to kiss him. Again, unsure why this would be unpleasant for anyone Iris rolled her eyes but informed her that it wouldn't be a problem. 

"Iris, you've pretty much had a Disney World full of parades. I don't think i'm gonna be the one to bring you down." Barry said, shifting in his seat to face her, sticking his tongue out.

"Raincloud. Raincloud Allen, that's what i'm going to call you tonight. Raincloud, the Harsher of Buzzes, Killer of Joy."

"If that's what makes you happy, fine." Barry laughed, waiting for the limo to stop before straightening his tie and helping his still bored looking date out. Iris was definitely going to have words with her tomorrow if she didn't cheer up.

"Yes!" Iris cheered, practically bounding out the door and only remembering to wait for Byron when Barry called out to her to wait for them.

It was a good night, or it had been up until the last hour or so. Pictures had been taken, drunk kids had thrown up under the bleachers, break ups, hook ups, and everything in between had occurred, been discussed, and thoroughly hand waved, and Laura had the nerve to leave after the Prom Court announcement. 

"Gone? What do you mean gone? I'm going to kill her!" Iris growled, looking around for her backstabbing former friend.

"Meaning she left, Iris. It's fine, I didn't think she'd stay with me as long as she did." Barry said, offering a smile to quell the inferno that currently stood in Iris' shoes.

"How is that fine? You're amazing, and it's senior prom and you should be here having fun with someone!"

"I am. You're here, and I guess Byron is okay, if you can get him to say more that 5 words at a time."

"I'm still going to tear her a new one for leaving you, she's out of her mind. You're the biggest catch here!" Iris stated, ignoring whatever it was Byron was trying to say in favor of vowing to scalp Laura for hurting her best friend.

"Iris! I'm actually gonna cut out too. I have to be home by 1, but thanks for coming with me." Byron said, finally able to get his piece in, and lightly kissing her on the cheek, then turning to clap Barry on the shoulder before heading out into the hallway.

"You're kidding..." 

"That just happened, and you think Laura is nuts? You're perfect and he literally just walked out!" Barry exclaimed, hands flailing as he struggled to find a gesture that encompassed all of Iris, and her sapphire dress.

"At least he thanked me. I think i'm a little done with tonight, last hoorah or not. Wanna go see a movie?" Iris offered, her positivity deflating a little.

"Nope, this is your night. We're getting ice cream, and then we're going mini-golfing. I'll call Joe and have him get someone to pick us up." Barry said, offering an arm out for Iris to hold.

"Thank god, because I think for the first time in a while there's literally nothing I want to see. Mini golf? You hate mini golf." Iris asked, brow furrowing at the strangeness of Barry's offer.

"You don't."

"No, I guess I don't. It's still pretty early, so we'll do ice cream, mini golf, and then we'll hit the arcade on Third and Clarendon. They're offering free games for sober students, and pizza from Stelio's." Iris said, recalling a poster she'd seen by the station earlier that day. She wasn't great at most of the stuff the arcade had, but if Barry was going to suffer through mini-golf for her, she could definitely eat pizza in a prom dress, and play DDR in heels. He'd be better company anyway, and probably always would be.


End file.
